No Bake Christmas Cookies

Make Chocolate Orange Cookies, Snowballs, and Cocoa Rice Treats

Dec 11, 2008 Deborah Harding

Make the children in your household feel like they've contributed to the holiday preparations by making safe and fun no bake cookies.

No Bake Cookies are perfect to make with young children during the holidays. They are gooey and tasty and easy to make and you don’t have to worry about having the oven on for the kids to bump into and get burned. The one problem with No Bake Christmas Cookies is that it may be a struggle to get the cookies made before they are all eaten up.

The term “no bake” is relative. No Bake Cookies definitely don’t go in the oven, but there may be a step that requires some of the ingredients to be melted. An adult should always perform this step. Also done by the adult should be any step that requires the use of a food processor or mixer although children can push the buttons to pulse on the food processor.

Most No Bake Cookies contain nuts of some sort either within the composition of the cookie or they are rolled in chopped nuts. Please make sure that you or the children you are making these cookies with do not have nut allergies because it is inevitable since the ingredients are so delicious, they will end up in their mouths at some time or another. Some children are even so sensitive to nuts they cannot touch them.

Chocolate Orange Balls

These are so good you’ll make them year after year. Citrus is popular during the holidays mostly because ages ago in the north, before the advent of shipping fruits from all over the world, citrus fruits were a delicacy and given as gifts during Christmas.

  • 1 – 9 ounce box vanilla wafer cookies
  • 2 – ¼ cups confectioner’s sugar
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/3 cup orange juice concentrate, undiluted
  • ¼ cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup pecan pieces

Directions:

  1. In a food processor combine the wafers, 2 cups of the confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, orange juice concentrate (just scrape it out of the can with a spoon or spatula and measure), and corn syrup. Process until cookies are crumbs and everything is blended.
  2. Add pecan pieces and pulse until they are finely chopped.
  3. Place mixture in a bowl or several bowls (if you have multiple children).
  4. Scoop out by teaspoonfuls and roll in hands into a ball.
  5. In another bowl place the remaining ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar and roll each ball in the sugar.
  6. Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and let sit about 1 hour.
  7. Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
  8. Makes 60 to 64 cookies.

Snowballs

These actually do look like snowballs as they are not pure white. They are dark underneath the white confectioner’s sugar and coconut layers and they are really good too. You can roll these in chopped nuts instead of coconut if you would like but it might be nice to have a no bake cookie that doesn’t have nuts.

  • 1 cup margarine, softened
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 – ½ cup sugar
  • 4 cups quick cooking oatmeal
  • Confectioner’s sugar
  • Flaked coconut

Directions:

  1. In a mixing bowl with a mixer cream butter, water and vanilla.
  2. In a large bowl combine the sugar, cocoa, and oatmeal and mix.
  3. Gradually add to the creamed mixture.
  4. Add more water if the dough doesn’t want to stick together.
  5. Roll into 1 inch balls then roll in the coconut. Set on a cookie sheet that has been covered with wax paper and let sit for about 1 hour.
  6. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.
  7. Makes about 60 cookies

Christmas Cocoa Rice Cereal Bars

This is a variation on the old Rice Krispy bar recipe and kids and adults love it.

  • 3 tablespoons margarine
  • 1 (10 ounce) package small marshmallows
  • 6 cups Cocoa Rice Cereal
  • 1 small package red and green M & M’s

Directions:

  1. In a saucepan melt the margarine over low heat.
  2. Add marshmallows and stir constantly until completely melted.
  3. Remove from and add the Cocoa Rice Cereal.
  4. Stir with a spoon until well coated.
  5. Let sit to cool for about 5 minutes.
  6. Add M & M’s and stir in.
  7. Press mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan that has been greased or coated with cooking spray. The mixture will still be warm but make sure it isn’t hot while pressing. You can ball up some wax paper and press with that or use a spatula.
  8. Once totally cool cut into squares. Serve immediately.
  9. Makes 12 – 2 inch squares.

The kids in the family probably watch you and other older family members preparing for the holidays and making these cookies with them helps them to feel as if they have done something to be proud of too.

You can get recipes for Christmas Cut Out Cookies that are always a hit with the kids at Christmas since they can get all messy decorating them byclicking here

See my other holiday recipes at my personal website Christmas 2008 Prymethyem

The copyright of the article No Bake Christmas Cookies in Recipes is owned by Deborah Harding. Permission to republish No Bake Christmas Cookies in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
air tight containers, morguefile
air tight containers
    
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